Court dismisses forgery suit against businessmen

A Federal High Court, Lagos has dismissed a forgery suit filed by the Police against three Nigerian businessmen for lack of evidence.

The businessmen are Nduka Nwaizu, Benjamin Nwaizu and Chukwudi Orji.

They were pressed with a six-count charge bordering on forgery of trade mark of Dorco shaving stick, but the court set them free on the ground that there was no evidence linking them to the offence.

Justice Ibrahim Buba, who dismissed the matter based on the no case submission canvassed by their counsel, held that there was no concrete evidence to link them with the offences brought against them.

The court agreed in totality with all the argument of the defendants and held that the legal ingredients of the offences in the entire charge did not establish any prima facie case against any of the accused to warrant them being called to enter a defence.

The court also held that all the prosecution witnesses under cross-examination by the defence counsel contradicted themselves and failed to link the accused to the offences contained in the charge. He, therefore, dismissed the charges against the accused.

The defendants had claimed that they are the original manufacturer of the shaving stick, which was imitated by the complainant, Obiora Obiwuru.